an anniversary, a birthday, and a little catching up

I find it incomprehensible that a week has flown since my handmade joy post. When life moves at this pace all you can do is tighten your seat belt and hang on for the ride.
First order of business: today is the first anniversary of the arrival of the chickens.
You may remember seeing them as bits of fluff. Irresistible. Here they are at arrival day 3 days old.

And where did the year go? Silver Polish has changed from the little punk rocker chick to a cock who is all about his male business and his voice.

The hens are laying consistently, often at 100%. Rosie has been placing her eggs in the corner of the chicken house instead of in a nesting box and yesterday there was another egg beside hers. Are they getting broody on me? What would chicks look like with Silver Polish as their dad??

Today is also the birthday of Carl Linnaeus, a fellow plant lover who did us all a big favor in his day. Having studied Latin at an all girls Catholic high school for 4 years, I can appreciate his use of Latin.
This past weekend I had my colleague and garden center shopping buddy Barb visiting. In preparation for her arrival I gathered flowers for several rooms in the house. Have you ever seen honeysuckle as lovely as this?? And it lasts forever as a cut flower. They're gathered in the little vase that attaches to the bathroom mirror with a suction cup. Each flower is nearly 3 inches wide.

There is quite a monstrous tangle of honeysuckle vine on an old post and wire fence near the pond. This year it is seriously out of control and spectacular.
And look what has managed to survive despite blooming while the weather was upside down and frosts arrived after all the baby trees had leafed out and many flowered...

This is one of many peaches, Reliance. Barb was the first to notice them. Then yesterday Eli and Dan were here working on projects I'll be sharing in the days ahead and they spotted them too.
There are also a few cherries, Montmorency.  The wind is really blowing today so this is a bit blurred...

Whether they survive the competition here to be savored by humans waits to be seen. Just their presence now is enough to cheer.
I hope I'll be able to post a little each day in the weeks ahead. I'll try. My life is truly blessed here on our ridge-meadow farm and I love sharing it with all of you who drop by.